At the Amusement Park
by Team Cap
Summary: One-Shot. Emerald wanted to ride the rollercoaster at this newly-built amusement park in Mauville City. However, his height, however, seemed to be stopping him. Either he doesn't ride it at all or bring a grown-up. Luckily, he spotted Ruby and Sapphire in this amusement park, but will they agree to accompany him?


**So this idea came to me when we're discussing a Sapphire and Emerald friendship art in the franticshipping discord server.**

**Remember in Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep where Ventus was given a ticket to Disney Town? In the English version, he was told to bring two grown-ups with him while in the Japanese version, he was told to bring his parents. What if this was Emerald's case?**

**I should be on a break, but yet, here I am. I finished this in 3 hours and don't ask me why because I have no idea. ^^;**

**Anyway, thank you, Storm, Xadhoom, Nue, and Shaun for beta reading this fic! :D**

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Loud shrieks and cries for help were heard around the amusement park as the rollercoaster descended from its highest peak. The wheels of the ride rubbed the rails, creating a loud sound of grinding metals.

A breath was taken in, as a smirk appeared on the blond boy's lips.

"Heh," he chuckled, rubbing his nose.

He had experienced much worse than that 'scary' rollercoaster. He could handle this. Biting his lip, Emerald moved his legs forward and went closer to the ride.

It was a fine day in the Hoenn Region, and for the first time, a newly-built amusement park in Mauville City was opened to the public. It was an amusement park for all ages, where kids and adults would enjoy themselves until they were sick of it.

Well, at least, that was what the slogan said. It sounded quite odd, in Emerald's opinion, and he tried telling the Trick Master to change it into something more...'suitable', but Mr. Tricky just laughed at the boy's enthusiasm, telling him that it was too late to change it; the flyers were already distributed anyway.

But still, Emerald just ignored it. The weird phrase wouldn't stop him from having fun.

As Emerald was about to step into the entrance, an amusement park personnel stopped him. The Calmer sighed and looked up, just to make eye contact with the personnel. He seemed to be a man in his thirties, and his expression was somewhat confused yet strict at the same time.

"Sorry, kid," the thirty-year-old man said, folding his arms across his chest. "You're too small for this ride."

Emerald grunted, closing his eyes and taking out a deep breath. He got this often, and he was getting sick of it. With a breath taken in, he opened his eyes and gave the man an obvious look. "Sir, I'm eighteen."

The man scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm six."

Emerald could feel his eye twitching. "I'm serious. I'm old enough to ride this rollercoaster."

"Sorry, _kid_," the amusement park employee replied. "rules are rules, and your height doesn't meet the requirements. Either you don't ride this ride at all or get yourself a grown-up."

Emerald grumbled, clenching his fists. He took a deep breath and his left hand rubbed his forehead. "Look, I have proof that I'm old enough to ride this rollercoaster," His hands went to his pocket, grabbing his Pokedex, but the man raised his hand, causing the Calmer to stop.

"Your age is not your problem, kid, it's your _height_. Like I said: either you don't ride it or get yourself a grown-up."

Emerald gave in, letting out a sigh. With one last look at the man, he turned around, moving farther away from the rollercoaster as fast as he could. He stopped on a bench beside a tree, which was in front of the Ferris wheel, and puffed some air out of his nose.

The nerve of that guy! How dare he call him a child?! He just turned eighteen last week, for crying out loud! Not every eighteen years old had an average height! He grunted once again and kicked a pebble on the pavement. He watched it move away from him, as he let out a sigh. He then turned at the Ferris wheel. His eyes widened when he saw two familiar figures walking out of the cabin. His eyebrows furrowed.

The employee did say he either doesn't ride the rollercoaster or has a grown-up with him, so what if he brought a 'grown-up'? "Hmm," he hummed, watching Ruby hold Sapphire's hand as they went out of the Ferris wheel. A lightbulb suddenly flicked on his head. "I just got an idea."

Dropping his arm, he ran faster than a Rapidash and blocked the couple's path, surprising them.

"Emerald?" Sapphire asked, blinking.

Ruby's eyebrow creased at their friend's sudden appearance. Emerald wasn't normally like this. He looked like he was out of breath and desperate. He wondered what was going on with him. "Emerald," he said, trying to sound casual. Today was supposed to be his date with Sapphire, and he didn't want any interruptions; that included his friends approaching them in this newly-built amusement park. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"So am I," Emerald retorted, folding his arms across his chest. He rose an eyebrow. "Are you two on a date or something?"

Sapphire blushed at the comment, while Ruby tried to hide it. The Charmer gulped. "As a matter of fact," Ruby held Sapphire's hand tighter. "yes."

"_Very_ romantic," the Calmer replied sarcastically, causing Ruby's right eye to twitch. The nerve of this guy! "Anyway, I don't have time to tell you guys why the amusement park isn't a romantic place for you two lovebirds."

"Hey—" Ruby tried to respond, but Sapphire placed a hand on his chest, calming him. He sighed, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Quit flirting, alright?" Emerald reprimanded, making the two stop looking at each other and turned back their attention at him. "I need your help," the blond continued, causing Ruby's eyes to widen and making Sapphire tilt her head to her left. He needed—what? "You heard me!" he repeated. "I can't ride the rollercoaster because the staff thought I'm a kid. And I just turned eighteen, for crying out loud!"

This caused Sapphire to giggle while Ruby, on the other hand, was trying to contain his laughter.

"Stop laughing!" Emerald hollered, pointing his hand at them. "It's not my fault that I'm short!"

Sapphire continued giggling, whilst Ruby placed a hand on his mouth.

"_Shut it_!" Emerald screamed, his face was red from embarrassment.

"Oh come on, Em!" Sapphire beamed, approaching him. She crouched down and patted his head. "I'm sure they didn't mean it."

Emerald grumbled but tried to control his anger. He breathed in and out and pouted. "I just wanna ride the rollercoaster, okay?"

Before Sapphire could reply, the screams from the rollercoaster were heard in the background. They all turned around to see it. The cart was plummeting down from the very top, causing Ruby to gulp. He could tolerate the Ferris wheel, but not that monster!

"Ya wanna ride that thing?" Sapphire asked, pointing at it while Emerald nodded.

"Yeah," the Calmer replied. "I wanna ride it so bad."

Sapphire didn't reply. She continued looking at the cart looping in the tracks, whilst the screams grew louder. She smiled. "It looks fun. We'll come with ya!"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wait, what?! No!" he yelled. "_Bad_ idea! Just look at that thing!" His thumb pointed at the ride whilst the people in it kept on screaming for their lives. "There's _no_ way I will ride that!"

Sapphire rolled her eyes. "Fine. Emerald and I will ride it instead."

"Can we just ride a safer ride? Something we all can enjoy?" Ruby asked, desperately trying to change Sapphire's mind. Sapphire pondered about it, as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She then spotted a carousel next to the rollercoaster. She snapped her fingers.

"What if we ride both the rollercoaster and that thing next to it?"

The boys' eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT?!" they responded, surprising Sapphire.

"Is there somethin' wrong?" she asked, as a large sweatdrop formed on her forehead.

"A _lot_ of problems, Sapphire," Emerald responded sarcastically. He breathed. "I may be small, but I do _not_ want to ride that carousel. That thing is for kids!"

"Well, to be fair, this amusement park_ is_ for kids," she stated, making Emerald shut his mouth.

She did have a point.

"And Ruby, do ya have any problem with this?" she asked her boyfriend, turning to look at him.

"Well, yes!" Ruby exclaimed. "I do _not_ want to ride that scary ride! I might throw up!"

"Ruby, we rode a Ferris wheel earlier..." Sapphire commented, making Ruby shook his head.

"B-But that thing moves slowly while that monster..." He took a glance at the rollercoaster and heard another batch of yelling. He gulped. He would never ride that thing for as long as he lived.

Sapphire rolled her eyes. She just grabbed the boys' hands and dragged them across the park.

Their first stop was the rollercoaster.

Emerald couldn't contain his excitement. He had his fists and teeth clenched, as he controlled his body from jumping up and down. Finally, he would ride this thing and see how fun or scary it could be.

"Next!" the employee called and Emerald ran towards him. The staff looked down and rose an eyebrow. "Oh, it's you."

"Yeah, yeah," Emerald waved his hand in the air. "And I brought not just one, but two grown-ups with me," he said, standing proudly while a smirk appeared on his lips.

"Ah," the personnel nodded. He looked at Sapphire and Ruby behind Emerald. "You must be this boy's parents."

The word 'parents' was enough to make the two blush madly from mortification. They gulped and just ignored the man, as he let them in. Emerald ran towards the front, taking all the seats for himself while Ruby and Sapphire sat behind him.

"Enjoy the ride," the staff said, as he checked their seatbelts. Once they were secured, he backed off and watched the rollercoaster ascend to the sky.

Ruby gulped. He held Sapphire's hand tightly, as he sunk further into his seat. He did not sign up for this!

Sapphire squeezed Ruby's hand, hoping to calm him down. She gulped, calmly waiting for the rollercoaster to reach its peak.

Emerald had a huge grin on his face. His heart was pounding on his chest. Excitement flowed through his veins. He was born ready for this.

Once the rollercoaster was at its peak, it quickly dropped, causing Ruby to scream for his dear life. Emerald yelled as well, but it was a mix of excitement and fear. Sapphire, on the other hand, shouted in exhilaration. She had her eyes closed and a smile was lit up on her face. Ruby and Emerald held on tightly at the restraints, as the rollercoaster performed loops. Ruby was starting to feel nauseous, and he just hoped that he wouldn't throw up.

"Isn't this fun?!" Sapphire asked, leaning forward in her seat. Ruby saw this and held their linked hands tightly.

"Sapph!" he yelped. "Aren't you scared?! Your back isn't even on your seat!"

"Why would I be?! This is fun!" she replied and screeched happily. Emerald, who heard their conversation, held on the restraints tighter than before. He sunk himself in his seat and just focused his vision in front of him.

Once the ride ended, they removed themselves from the cart. Ruby and Emerald looked like they just ate a rotten berry, while Sapphire was full of energy.

"Woohoo!" she roared, throwing her hands in the air. "That was fun! Ya wanna do it again?"

"NO!" Ruby and Emerald quickly responded, shaking their heads.

Sapphire, oblivious to how scared the two boys were, just smiled. Her smile was enough to lift Ruby's mood and it made Emerald calm down. "Well, if ya say so. Let's go to the horse ride next!"

Emerald sighed. "I regret riding this rollercoaster. I thought I could handle it."

"I told you so," Ruby responded, as they both followed the Conqueror. Ruby quickly stood beside her and linked their hands together, whilst Emerald followed them with a hand folded across this chest. He watched them talk about the ride, with Sapphire telling Ruby how much she enjoyed it while Ruby smiled at her.

Emerald thought how love works weirdly at times, but as long as his friends were happy, he was happy too.

Their next stop was the carousel.

The carousel was alright if Ruby and Sapphire would _stop_ treating him like a child.

The carousel was filled with different horse-like Pokemon, mainly Ponyta, Rapidash, and their Galarian forms. Emerald decided to sit on the Galarian Ponyta one. He was expecting Ruby and Sapphire would sit on the Rapidash (since it could fit two people on it), but instead, both of them were standing beside him. He blinked at them, confused why these two lovebirds didn't want to find their own seats.

"The ride is about to start. Aren't you gonna ride on that Rapidash or something?" he asked and the two shook their heads.

"Ya might fall. We don't want that to happen," Sapphire responded, holding onto the pole. Ruby held onto the pole as well, while his free hand held Sapphire's.

"Sapphire is right. We don't want you to fall."

Emerald could feel his left eye twitching in annoyance. "I was perfectly fine on that rollercoaster. Stop treating me like a child!"

"C'mon, Em!" Sapphire gently patted his back. For Emerald, however, it felt like a smack. Just how strong was this woman anyway? "We're just tryin' to be protective friends!"

"You two are starting to act like my parents," he mumbled. Sapphire heard this and removed her hand from the pole, and just as she was about to take a seat on the Galarian Rapidash, the carousel started moving, causing them to stay in their place. It played a nursery rhyme while the horses moved up and down, and as the whole place moved circularly.

The music annoyed Emerald more, however.

"Are there any songs available on this thing?!" he exclaimed and pulled his hair. The employee heard him and laughed.

"Oh, come on, kid! Don't you like nursery rhymes?"

"Shut it!"

"Hey! Rude!" the employee snapped. "Your parents should discipline you for that!"

"I'm eighteen!"

"And I'm six!"

"Ugh!" Emerald grumbled, and just held onto the pole. He waited for a few minutes until the ride ended. As he was about to hop off from the Galarian Ponyta model, Sapphire grabbed him and placed him down, like a mother carrying her own baby. Emerald flushed in embarrassment.

"Let go of me!" Emerald howled, wiggling his body. Sapphire just rolled her eyes and placed him down.

"Geez, Emerald, I'm just helpin' ya get down," she scolded the small boy and tapped her foot on the floor.

"Whatever," Emerald muttered and went outside of the carousel. Sapphire looked at Ruby and sighed. The couple followed him.

"Emerald!" Sapphire called, but the Calmer didn't stop and continued walking.

"Emerald!" It was Ruby this time, but the blond didn't stop.

Sapphire shook her head. She picked up her pace and stopped in front of the small boy. Emerald stopped and looked up to make eye contact with her.

"What now?" he asked rudely.

Sapphire sighed. "Ya didn't enjoy the ride. What's wrong?"

Emerald tried to leave, but Ruby was right behind him. He sighed. He guessed he was surrounded. "I just want people to stop treating me like a kid because of my height, okay?"

Sapphire bit her lip. She looked at Ruby, who seemed to be having the same expression, too. They didn't know.

Sapphire kneeled on her left leg, meeting Emerald's gaze. She patted his shoulder. "Sorry, we didn't know. We just want ya to enjoy yerself."

"The rollercoaster was fine, okay?" Emerald sniffed. "But the carousel? Why do you have to do that?"

Sapphire looked at Ruby then back at Emerald. She gulped. "Again, that was my fault, I'm sorry. I just want ya to be safe."

"Sapphire, I'm an orphan. I can take care of myself," Emerald retorted, glaring at her. Sapphire didn't budge. She just watched him grit his teeth. "Everything was fine until that stupid rollercoaster staff told to have an adult with me, ugh."

"Well, it's their fault for mistakin' ya as a kid. We're only doin' this because you're our friend." Sapphire explained and patted his shoulders once again. Emerald slapped her hand away from it, however.

"Then treat me like one! Don't treat me like a child!"

Sapphire bit her lip. Ruby joined her and dropped his left knee. He looked at Emerald. "We're sorry."

Emerald sniffed and glared at them. "You better be."

There was a short silence emanating among the Hoenn Pokedex Holders. All they could hear were laughter and screams from the people in the amusement park. Sapphire stood up with Ruby following her. He held her hand.

"You okay?" he asked. She turned to face him and nodded.

"I was thinkin' that..." An idea suddenly occurred in her head. With her eyes lit up, she smiled. "I know somethin' we can all enjoy," The boys looked at her, confused at what she meant. "Let's go and eat ice cream!"

There was silence until Emerald chuckled. He smiled. The word 'ice cream' suddenly lifted his bad mood. "Ice cream...sounds nice."

Sapphire grinned at her friend. She looked at Ruby, whose face was close to hers. How come she didn't notice it? "Y-Ya want ice cream?"

Ruby chuckled. "Definitely."

Sapphire gulped. The way his face was close to hers was definitely nerve-wracking. She should've been used to it. "A-Alright!"

Emerald watched Ruby and Sapphire lead the way. He looked around the park and saw people having the time of their lives. The Trick Master was right about this park, though. People would always find a way to have fun at this place...until they get sick of it. He still thought that it was a weird slogan, but somehow, it did make sense.

"Hey, Emerald!" Sapphire called. "Ya comin' or what?!"

Emerald closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He ran after his friends. "I'm comin'! Hold your Horseas!"

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**I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you had a lot of fun reading this, too! We need more Emerald and Sapphire friendship fics. ;v;**


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